Vehicle steering system with a steering output sensor

Abstract

A vehicle steering system, suitable for steering the rear wheels of a four wheel steering vehicle, comprising a steering rod received in a housing assembly so as to be moveable in the longitudinal direction, an indicator member is connected to the steering rod by way of a connecting arm member extending radially from the steering rod so that the steering output of the steering system may be detected by cooperation between a sloping surface provided in the indicator member and a stroke sensor mounted on the housing assembly and engaged to the sloping surface and/or so that the rotation of the steering rod around its central axial line may be prevented. Since the indicator member is connected to a free end of the connecting arm member in such a manner that the indicator member may move away from and toward the steering rod and move angularly relative to the connecting arm member, a favorable movement of the indicator member may be ensured during the operation of the steering system without requiring any undue precision in the distance and the angular relationship between the steering rod and the indicator member. Thus, an economy of the manufacturing cost can be gained without in any way sacrificing the accuracy or the reliability of steering angle detection in the steering system.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.